The Oath
by Tisun
Summary: Hermione, bound to a most despicable person by an oath, is forced to secretly help the latter in defeating a Dark Force threatening to take over Voldemort's niece, Rose Riddle, body and soul. Will they succeed before the irreversible occurs? Or will it be the end of the whole Wizarding World? -Dramione fic-
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N]**

**Hello everyone! Before reading on, I ASSURE you that this is a Dramione fic. Rose Riddle is an OC, and she'll be a crucial pivot in the overall plot.**

**Disclaimer: Since it's a Fanfiction, a disclaimer is not really required... right? Oh well, I wish I owned the HP series though...**

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**Chapter One ~ First day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Riddle, Rose!"

Upon hearing Professor Minerva McGonagall calling out her name, Rose slowly detached herself from the crowd of first-year Hogwarts students standing in a not-so-orderly row in front of the strict-looking Professor. Applause had just ceased after Harry Potter took a seat among grinning students at the Gryffindor table, located on the far right of the Great Hall. Rose could feel that all eyes were on her as she made her way to the wooden stool next to Professor McGonagall and sat down. The Sorting Hat was placed atop her head and she waited. And waited.

"Hmm…," muttered the Sorting Hat thoughtfully. "That's strange, I can't seem to…"

As if realization suddenly struck her, Rose swiftly – and furtively – removed the silver ring she was wearing on her left middle finger, and concealed it in her fist. She bowed her head ever so slightly, so that her straight fringe partially concealed her eyes in its shade.

Just as soon, the Sorting Hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!" Once the Hat was lifted off her head, a sigh of relief escaped her lips; she immediately put the ring back on. She opened her eyes to the sound of cheering coming from her right: every student at the Slytherin house table were clapping loudly, though the boys appeared much more enthusiastic than the girls. Rose felt herself blush as she stood up and walked towards the cheering students, her long, pale golden, braided hair swinging to and fro with each step. "Like a pendulum," she thought wryly.

She sat down next to a first-year girl, who instantly turned around from conversing with a white-blond haired boy on her left. "Hello! I'm Pansy Parkinson," she said, grinning, all the while scanning Rose up and down. Feeling self-conscious under her scrutiny, Rose was somewhat relieved that her black robe was loose around her body. "Oh, and this is Draco Malfoy," she added with a clearly smug look, gesturing towards the fair boy sitting beside her. "You are Rose Riddle, right?" That certainly sounded more like a statement than a question, though.

Nodding once, she smiled back shyly at Pansy, while a curious Draco locked eyes with Rose. "Merlin, curse me now," she thought quietly to herself, as she couldn't help staring at the boy's pale and delicate features. Plus it was simply impolite to ogle a new acquaintance, who was practically a complete stranger. Well, that was what her father had taught her since her childhood years. He used to give long-ass lectures about noble status and pure-blood lineage, etiquette to follow, and some other stuff to which she would listen to on a regular basis at home. Still, he cherished his one and only child despite his often stoic demeanor. Rose's mother had died soon after childbirth, so Alexander Riddle would sometimes describe his late wife to his inquisitive daughter.

Once the Sorting was over and Blaise Zabini took place next to Rose, the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore opened the start-of-term feast and plates of food and jugs of drinks magically appeared on every house table. Amazed "Wooow!"s could be heard from the first-years while the other students tucked in. From where she sat, Rose had a clear view of the other three long tables: the Ravenclaw one was directly next to the Slytherin's, then there was the Hufflepuff's and ultimately the Gryffindor's.

After the dinner feast, students were guided by prefects House-wise to their respective dormitories. The Slytherins were led back into the Entrance Hall, down a staircase into the Dungeons and then along a low-ceilinged corridor until they reached a bare stone wall. "Pure-Blood!" exclaimed the Prefect accompanying them, and the large stone bricks shifted so that there was now a gap in the middle of the wall, leading into the Slytherin common room.

As soon as everyone had entered, the wall shifted back to its normal state. Rose glanced around the large common room and her gaze settled on the windows. "The common room is found under The Black Lake," she suddenly heard the Prefect declare. "So you might see a giant squid through the windows from time to time, but don't worry! The panes are protected by a magical barrier and…," the tall student went on with his explanation as Rose's attention gradually shifted to examining the tapestry-covered walls.

She finally snapped back to reality when a hand patted her shoulder, and she heard a drawling voice utter, "My, my, what's on your mind?" Taken back, Rose whirled around to face none other than Draco Lucius Malfoy himself, an eyebrow raised in amusement. Behind him she could see Pansy's pouting pug face which seemed to be digging daggers into Malfoy's back. The common room was also less crowded now as students gradually made their way into their respective dormitories.

"Nothing at all," she replied softly, meeting Draco's steady gaze for the second time that night.

At her response, Draco's lips quirked up in a crooked smile, and he calmly bent forward, his lips next to her ear. "Seems like Parkinson is a teensy bit jealous of your… _doll face_," he whispered, his warm breath tingling her bare skin. Rose could feel her cheeks flush from the proximity.

It was short-lived though, as Draco almost instantly drew away from her and turned, stalking off in the direction of the common room entrance, and bid the two girls good night before exiting.

Needless to say, Pansy was silently fuming, her glare now intent on Rose. She abruptly turned on her heels and soon disappeared behind the door to the girls' dormitory. This was definitely the start of a beautiful friendship, Rose thought wryly.

She waited for some time before heading towards the dormitory. After all, she couldn't risk coming face-to-face with Pansy just yet, else she might not even last until her first class next morning.

Rose made her way over to the large sofa facing the fireplace, where a crackling fire was warming the whole room. On the mantelpiece above it were displayed moving photographs of different batches of Slytherin students within each frame. The young girl removed her long black robe and shoes, and plopped down onto the cosy couch. She stretched before slowly lowering herself to lie on her side, facing the warmth of the fire.

She stared for a long time at the quivering flames. Then her gaze shifted to her silver ring. Oh, how she despised wearing it! True, she knew it protected her from external intrusion into her psyche, but it also suppressed all her magic powers! Impulsively, she slipped it off and curled her fingers around it. She also knew that her eye colour had changed back to normal in doing so.

However, she didn't know when exactly sleep claimed her.

When Draco came back to the Slytherin common room after visiting the Hogwarts castle – and nearly getting caught by Argus Filch, the grumpy school caretaker – he was not at all expecting to see a sleeping Rose on the couch where he was planning to lounge. He tiptoed closer to look at her face; her features were relaxed, but something about her expression intrigued Draco – what could it be?

He scrutinized the unsuspecting girl for a while, until realization dawned on him: her mouth was shut and her jaw clenched – definitely signs of some inner turmoil. Or was it just an old habit of hers? His gaze then shifted to her loosely closed fist, in which he could perceive a metallic band. "A ring?" he thought to himself, curiosity gaining the upper hand. He carefully reached for the silver band in Rose's hand and quickly snatched it away. However, the last gesture was done a bit clumsily, and the brushing of their skin sufficed to make Rose stir in her slumber.

Red met grey as she woke up and Rose and Draco locked eyes.

The least one could say was that Draco felt like in a daze. As he saw Rose's blood-red eyes – which had been a dull brown earlier that day – he couldn't hide the stunned look on his face. This unusual eye colour contrasted with her pale complexion, giving Rose an unearthly appearance in Draco's eyes.

Draco's last sight was those large blood-red eyes before his whole world went black.

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**[A/N]**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Don't worry, Hermione will be in the next one…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ~ The Rescue**

Hermione woke up with a start. Beads of sweat were apparent on the sides of her pale face as she tried to recall the weird dream she'd just had. She didn't… no, she _couldn't_ understand anything at all. Maybe she should opt for Divination in her third year… it might help her better comprehend random dreams like this one…

Fragments of her dream were flashing in her mind, red being the most prominent colour. Maybe she should also drop by the school library first thing in the morning to search a bit on symbolism and the like. "Aargh!" she muttered under her breath, frustrated by her inability to understand _a-ny-thing_.

She lit the lamp on her bedside table and checked the time: midnight. She mentally noted that it was now her second "day" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The air was a bit chilly at night. She got out of bed and went into the common room, grateful for the warmth emanating from the still-burning fire in the fireplace, and made a bee-line for the bathroom.

After her little business, Hermione came back into the common room, feeling completely awake now. The moon could be seen through one of the windows. As Hermione approached it, she could see the reflection of the ivory circle down below on the still surface of the Black Lake.

Suddenly a small movement broke the evenness of the lake surface. The ripple was concentric, as if coming from a particular spot beneath the water. Hermione narrowed her eyes, all her attention now focused on that one point.

She didn't expect, though, to see a glowing form abruptly emerge from the lake.

She gasped, wondering whether it was merely a hallucination. Fear and curiosity were battling inside her, as she was debating between remaining in the safety of her bed and going outside to check out this strange discovery. When she saw the silhouette drop a limp figure into the water, though, all hesitation vanished. She hurried into her room to grab her wand and put on her black robe, and exited the Gryffindor tower, making a mad run down to the ground floor.

It wasn't too difficult to remember the location of the door leading out to the place where they had accosted just hours ago, after crossing the Black Lake from the Hogwarts station. A chilly breeze greeted Hermione as she carefully stepped out into the cold night. _"Lumos!_" she whispered and a bright light was instantly shining at the tip of her wand.

She deftly made her way to the edge of the lake, wincing slightly whenever she would step on a dry twig or leaf. Looking upwards, she scanned her aerial surroundings for the glowing form. She let out a sigh of relief upon finding nothing.

Hermione's gaze then shifted to the body floating in the water. Panic crept into her mind as she wondered whether the person had already drowned by the time she had arrived.

Without second thought, she removed her robe and dropped her wand, and got into the ice-cold water. She didn't know how long she swam, but as she got nearer to the floating figure, she was filled with hope when she saw that the person's face was out of the water. However, the small waves caused by her moving across the water eventually reached the limp body before her; and to Hermione's utter horror, she saw the person's face slowly disappear into the water, tiny bubbles emerging shortly afterwards.

Hermione immediately dived, making an oblique line downwards. She kept her arms stretched out in front of her, eyes wide open, desperately searching for an arm, a hand, _anything_. She almost cried out of joy when her left hand made contact with something solid, and she saw that it was the person's wrist.

However, getting the two of them back to shore was no problem at all. Hermione had hardly wrapped a firm arm around the other person's waist when she saw a _huge_ tentacle circle both the boy and herself. Everything passed quickly after that, as they were lifted out of the water and back onto the solid ground. "T-Thank you!" she managed to cry out to the retreating tentacle, which waved back at her before immersing. She had read something about a giant squid living in the depths of the Black Lake. _Well_, _figures_...

Still, Hermione had no time to spare pondering on that any further, for the person lying next to her, whom, by the unique white-blond colour of his hair, she recognized as Draco Malfoy, was utterly still. _Too_ still. It was time to put into practice what she had learnt on CPR when she was taking swimming lessons in the Muggle world. She turned him onto his back before placing her ear next Draco's nose to feel for his breath. _Nothing_.

She didn't trust her trembling hands to check his pulse.

Only one option was left.

Hermione tilted Draco's head back and gently lifted his chin so that his mouth was now open. She then proceeded to pinch his nose closed, and – trying not to blush too much, but failing miserably – she lowered herself to seal his mouth with her own, immediately breathing air into him.

As Hermione was busy giving first aids to Draco, though, she didn't notice the person coming behind her, wand pointed at her head.

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**[A/N]**

**Thanks a lot for reading! Please leave a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ~ The Oath**

Blood traitors. Half-Bloods. Mudbloods.

Those three were what Draco Malfoy hated most in his life. Not that he had anything personal against them, but he had been brought up with such a mindset, inculcated by his own parents. According to them, those three were _inferior_ _beings_, compared to the Purebloods, who were born from magical parents.

Mudbloods were those born from non-magical parents; Half-bloods were those born from a Mudblood and Pureblood; and blood traitors were Purebloods who dared befriend or even _marry_ a Mudblood. Therefore, all three were equally as bad as each other and deserved "to be cleared altogether from the surface of the earth".  
Not that all of it mattered much at the moment.

Draco, a Pureblood, felt like dying. There was a strange sensation in his chest, as though air was being forced into his lungs without his doing anything. Then he felt something – were they hands? – pumping his chest shortly afterwards, now pushing the air out. And once again, he felt something soft press against his lips as more breaths of precious air entered his mouth. As the air penetrated his respiratory system once more, Draco's body tried to expel the unwelcome water which had entered his lungs. It succeeded.

Draco suddenly coughed out the lake water, causing Hermione to squeak in surprise; however, she swiftly helped Draco turn onto his side, all the while gently patting his back. Well, he was definitely alive now.

When he felt that all the water had been expelled from his lungs, Draco slowly opened his eyes, and was greeted with a most queer sight. Next to him was a young girl (drenched as much as he was) who was looking at him with wide brown puppy eyes. Her long mane of brown hair fell in drenched locks behind her while some strands were plastered to her forehead and cheeks. He noticed that her teeth –his gaze lingering a bit on her particularly large front teeth – were shattering from the cold. Otherwise, she was just plain-looking.

"Thank you—GET DOWN!" Draco grabbed Hermione by the shoulder and pulled her to the ground, a bright green ray of light shooting past the spot where her head had been just seconds before. Hermione shrieked in panic, feeling utterly powerless without her wand in reach.

Draco quickly scrambled to his feet, took out his wand and, with all his might, shouted out, "_Expelliarmus!_" The opponent's wand went flying out of his or her hand into the air, landing several feet behind him or her. Draco was now advancing cautiously towards the unknown enemy, all the while getting ready to cast yet another spell if need be.

He hadn't anticipated the other's reaction though. Instead of rushing to the expelled wand, the opponent stood still and began singing. It was a soft, feminine voice. It sounded familiar to Draco's ear. Much too familiar. "_Rose?_" he asked uncertainly. As his eyes finally got used to the darkness of the night, and with the aid of the moonlight pouring down on them, Draco was able to make out Rose's face. But something was off. Wait... why was her hair _glowing?_

Indeed, as the wind picked up, both Draco and Hermione noticed that detail at the same time. Rose's long hair was no longer arranged in a neat braid, but it was blowing wildly about her and framing her body in a light radiance.

Rose didn't hear Draco though and kept on singing, her voice gorged with sadness and despair.

As he listened to Rose's singing Draco was frozen in place. Not in amazement, but as though someone had just stunned him and he couldn't break the spell on his own. His body didn't budge one inch as his mind sent frantic messages to _get the hell out_. He stood in utter horror as he felt his wand hand slowly move up against his will, the tip of his wand pressing against his temple. Just _what_ was wrong with him?!

At that precise moment, he felt a rush of air on his right, and watched, immobile, as Hermione lunged at Rose, knocking her to the gravel-covered ground. Draco could move once again. He ran to where the two girls were struggling on the shore, Rose screaming while Hermione had her hands firmly pinned down on either side of her head.

All of a sudden, Rose fell utterly silent. Her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

Once back in the Slytherin common room (Draco had requested Hermione to help change Rose into her PJs and put her in bed "_please_"), Draco and Hermione placed Rose onto the couch before the fireplace. In doing so, Hermione accidentally stepped on something hard and circular on the carpeted floor. She lifted her foot and noticed a silver ring underneath. She bent and picked it up. As soon as her fingers made contact with the metallic band, a light shimmer emanated from it, taking Hermione aback.

"What are you _doing?_" asked Draco, his eyebrows raised and noticing her staring at something in her left hand. "Oh! This is..." He knelt down beside her to have a closer look at the ring. He suddenly felt an invisible force taking over his body; he could not help but stare, eyes wide open, as his hand slowly moved up to touch the silver band in Hermione's hand.

They certainly did not expect the blinding light that was suddenly radiating from the small object. Both were forced to squeeze their eyes shut, while their minds went blank in that instant. When they reopened their eyes, the ring was gone. Vanished into thin air. _What kind of black magic was that?_

When Rose was finally sleeping in the safety of her bed, Draco accompanied Hermione back to her common room and the two bid each other good night.

But of course, even their dreams wouldn't let them rest peacefully that night.

Hermione found herself in the Forbidden Forest, on the outskirts of the Hogwarts castle. The moon was high above, a pale luminous disc in the starry sky. She frowned, wondering how she even got here in the first place. She remembered feeling all cosy under her warm blanket, sighing contentedly at the prospect of finally claiming sleep her own.

As she turned on herself to examine her surroundings, her gaze met Draco's stone grey eyes. The latter, upon realising her presence, had a "Not you again" look on his face. Sure, he felt beyond grateful for her saving him earlier, but everything had _limits_. And he definitely did not like this dream one bit. Unlike Hermione, Draco had been used to lucid-dreaming, but he was presently unable to conjure up anything to satisfy his whims. Great, just great.

All of a sudden, a fresh breeze blew between them, ruffling Draco's short hair and dishevelling Hermione's bushy mane. The Forbidden Forest was known for being the home to innumerable species of magical (and dangerous) creatures; therefore, they were not so taken aback to see the breeze halt in a whooshing whirl before them, from which a feminine figure came forth. The pair noted that she looked like an older version of Rose Riddle, which was not far from the truth.

"Please accept my deepest apologies for intruding your sleep," said the woman in a mellow, apologetic voice. "I am Katherine Riddle, Rose's mother. I presume that you are Draco and Hermione?" Both nodded mechanically. "What has happened tonight – I cannot thank you enough for preventing my daughter from going on a rampage. As it is, a Dark Force dwells in her since birth – curse the Dark Lord for this," she said, scowling as she muttered the last bit. She went one, "The Dark Lord attacked my family while I was pregnant with Rose, but instead of killing us, he—he cursed her..." One of her hands flew to her face as the memory replayed in her mind. "He said that she'd join him when the right time came... And to think that she is his _niece_!" At that revelation, both preteens' eyes widened in utter shock. "I passed away shortly after giving birth to Rose," she added, wincing, "and I have watched over her and her father ever since. From what I've observed, the Dark Force increases her magical powers tenfold until they are out of control. My husband has called it the Birdsong, because whenever she sings, she has the ability to influence the listener's psyche either positively or negatively; she can also gain total control over the listener's body if direct eye contact is made. Moreover, under the Dark Force's control, the Unforgivable Curses are child's play."

"B-But this is absurd!" cried out Hermione, not believing how close she had been to witnessing Draco's possible demise. She then added in a more feeble voice, "How come I was not under her influence while Draco was?"

The corners of Katherine's lips curled up in a small smile. "That is because only Purebloods are affected by her emprise. Half-bloods might be influenced too, depending on their lineage. As for Muggleborns, they are safe."

And that was how Draco came to know of Hermione's Muggle origins. However, he made no snide remark about that. Yet. What was bothering him at the moment was the thought of being enslaved to demonical Rose, who might Curse him dead anytime. And then proceed to do the same to his whole family, and maybe even _worse._ This exact thought was what prompted Draco to ask a question which would determine both his and Hermione's fate. It was: "What can we do to defeat that Force?"

Apparently, Hermione had been thinking of something similar, because she immediately chirped in, "Yes! Is there any way to prevent this?"

"There is a way, but do you swear to abide by it?" asked the woman in a solemn voice, her face darkening with graveness. Both exclaimed "I swear!" in unison. Katherine stretched out both arms towards them, gesturing to either of them to take one of her hands in theirs. Katherine's next words sealed both their fates: "By this Oath, I commend the two of you, Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger, to work hand-in-hand to defeat the Dark Force and to seal it forever in these crystal pendants."

And then, everything went black.

When they woke up in the morning, both were not-so-surprised by yet another discovery. Each now had a crystal pendant around their necks. The silver chain was long enough that the multifaceted, opalescent shard of crystal was resting just above their abdomens.

They had made an Oath.

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**[A/N]**

**Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review~ Constructive criticism is most welcome! ^_^**


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